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The most important aspect of maintaining a properly functioning IMSMANG system is backing up and restoring data.

Regular data backups are essential for maintaining the integrity of the system in case of sytem failure, software errors or accidental data deletion. Not only should information managers mandate that all IMSMA^NG data is regularly backed up, but more importantly a multitired backup strategy should be used to eliminate data loss. Consider the following options below when developing a backup strategy for IMSMA^NG.

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IMSMANG contains several stores of information that can be backed up. By far, the most critical store is the IMSMANG database itself because it contains all of the active data in IMSMANG including published reports, form templates and geographic data in addition to the typical mine action information. IMSMANG’s Backup capability backs up the IMSMANG database by executing a MySQL database dump command that creates a complete backup of all of the data in the database including any additional tables, views and other customisations. The resulting dump.sql file, which is stored in a time-stamped directory for easy identification, includes the necessary commands to recreate the database with all of the existing data.

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IMSMANG stores attachments on the server file system separate from the IMSMANG database. Because of the size of some attachments, it may not be beneficial or necessary to back up the attachments each time. IMSMANG Backup provides the option to exclude attachments when performing a backup.

* translation .properties files

While IMSMANG stores all coordinate data in the MySQL database that is backed up with the IMSMANG database, IMSMANG also stores coordinate data in a geodatabase file (IMSMA.mdb) on each client computer to allow data to be displayed on the map. This file should be included with each IMSMANG backup to shorten the time it takes to launch IMSMANG after a restore. IMSMANG automatically builds this file during system launch if the file is missing, but it can take several hours to do so.

Because the geodatabase is built on a per-client basis, it is also recommended to launch the client to fully update the geodatabase prior to backing it up. After it is backed up, the geodatabase can be transferred manually to other freshly installed clients to shorten the time required to build the geodatabase during system launch.

IMSMA^NG map files can be loaded on a per-client basis and stored in IMSMA^NG Backup, providing an easy way to share maps between clients.

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IMSMANG provides the capability to store copies or drafts of Data Entry Form templates and iReport templates to the file system during report design. While the published versions of the templates are backed up as part of the IMSMANG database backup, the files are only included if the option is selected on the IMSMANG Backup window. Storing these files in the backup is recommended as it makes it easier to resume drafting templates and reports.

IMSMANG stores translations of the application in several places. Translations and localisations of data elements are stored in the IMSMANG database and are backed up with the database backup. The .properties files used to translate the IMSMANG interface are stored externally to the database, but they can be added to the IMSMANG Backup as an option. If changes are made to the .properties files, it is recommended to back them up after each change as well as each time a full backup is made.

While IMSMANG Backup backs up all of the files used in the typical operation of IMSMANG, there are other customisable files that should also be backed up. These include:

External reporting tools and other add-ons are not backed up by IMSMANG and should be backed up manually. These include any tools using ODBC connections to IMSMANG such as Microsoft Access databases, Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, OpenOffice connections and Crystal Reports. Information managers should ensure that these tools get backed up manually or automatically.

{{important| IMSMANG Restore replaces all data in the IMSMANG database and may copy over existing files. Prior to restoring the IMSMANG database, information managers should ensure that all necessary data has been backed up. IMSMANG Restore operations cannot be undone

IMSMANG Restore allows users to determine which components of an IMSMANG Backup to restore. The components available depend on the options that were selected during backup. Each option behaves slightly differently depending on whether the restore is occurring on a server or a client.

In a client-server environment, the IMSMANG database can be restored only on the server machine so as to prevent accidental deletion of data by client users. Conducting an IMSMANG Restore on the server machine (or a stand-alone machine) restores the IMSMANG database and the available attachments to the server, replacing any existing data in the IMSMANG database. When a restore is complete, IMSMANG closes and must be restarted.

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Except for instances where the client and the server are on the same machine, the IMSMANG database cannot be restored to a client-only machine. However, IMSMANG Restore can be used to restore client settings including the GIS database, Data Entry Form templates, iReport templates, map files and translation .properties files. This functionality is particularly useful when connecting new clients to a server as this allows information managers to prebuild the GIS database and map configurations and simply restore them to the new clients.

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